Relaxing in Bologna

If you’ve been reading K’s four part special on our Italian food tour, you know that we had to get up crazy early to stand outside and wait for our ride (who was late). The single gulp of coffee I was able to choke down before running out the door was scalding hot on the back of my throat, and I was in a fairly pissy mood.

As we drove to our destination, I noticed all of the angry drivers laying on their horns and realized that it was a Monday morning. Glancing at my watch, I saw that only two weeks before, I would’ve been driving to work. Now I was watching the sunrise over the Tuscan countryside on a highway to Milan. I continued to stare out the window, seeing the tiny villages give way to vineyards dotting the hills, and couldn’t help but smile. Never again will I start off my week with that commute.

We originally decided that we would stay in Bologna and day trip out to Florence and Pisa. On the day we wanted to go to Florence, we stood in four different lines at the train station, looking for a ticket machine that would accept cash since our American credit cards are pretty much useless here. After 30 frustrating minutes, I turned to my adventure partner and said, “I’m just going to throw an idea out here, and you can throw it right back. What if we just said ‘fuck it’ and stayed in Bologna for the day?”

He quickly agreed and after a few minutes of walking, we ended up at this amazing park over looking the city. I was surprised how many people were in the park, considering it was a Tuesday morning. For the most part, they were sitting around on the benches, chatting with each other, and smoking cigarettes.

The scene reminded me of Spain. Our tour guide in Barcelona had explained that unemployment amongst young adults in the city is at 52%, so they have some free time on their hands.

Whether in Barcelona or Bologna, no one seemed to be in a hurry to get anywhere. After an hour or so, we wandered from one end of the city to the other, and ended up at a different park. Same story. Loads of people sleeping in the sun, picnicking, and chain-smoking their way through another long afternoon.

I thought to myself, ‘When in Bologna,’ and sat down next to the pond. I watched turtles, fish of all sizes, ducks, and geese splash in the water. I played 15 games of Sudoku (the difficult ones, IN PEN!!). I drank two cups of espresso and ate some salami from the co-op. I spent another hour people-watching. Pleather is making a huge comeback here.

I returned to the park today, where I read a book for an hour and drank a beer in the sun. Then I lay in the grass and watched the clouds for a while. I think the last time I watched the clouds was when I was a child, and I’ve been missing out. When I was kid, I would think to myself, ‘That one looks like a marshmallow!’ My adult brain is much more creative. ‘That one looks like a three-legged Welsh Corgi laying on a throw pillow next to Charlie Sheen!’

My brain can only focus on cute things now.

My ever-pragmatic adventure partner says that the last two days should’ve demonstrated to me why the European economy is in the toilet. For now, I’m choosing to ignore that fact. Maybe it’s the sun or that I’m just not as stressed out from continually hating my job, but my time in the park has been some of the most relaxing few days of my life. I’ve finally had a few hours to simply sit in the grass and think. I didn’t worry about what I had to do next, and for once I wasn’t in a hurry.

I might not be able to maintain this lifestyle forever, but I hope that when I return to “normal” I’ll still take the time to watch the clouds, if only to see what shapes emerge. Most of all, I hope I can cling to my newfound ability to slow down and (literally) smell the roses.

Let's ROWE!

1:15. Skim an article about productivity. 1:17. Space out for awhile. 1:32. Refill coffee cup. 1:34. Check for new emails. Still 1:34. This is my typical afternoon as a clock-watcher. I don’t plan to watch the clock, I just can’t help myself. There’s nothing like being bored out of your mind and knowing that you can’t leave yet to drag time to a standstill.

Perhaps it’s because of my clock-watching habit that I’m so intrigued by the idea of a Results-Only Work Environment (ROWE). ROWE is a concept created by two Best Buy Human Resource managers, Judy Thompson and Cali Ressler. Instead of working a set number of hours per week, work is based on results. You are free to do your work whenever and wherever you want, as long as you get your work done. It’s such a simple concept on the surface, but it has the power to revolutionize the way we look at business.

Clock-watching aside, consider how a ROWE would impact your personal life. There would be no need to flex your hours in order to pick up your kid from school. You wouldn’t have to waste a precious vacation day waiting for the repairman. If you friend was visiting, you could meet her for lunch and not have to rush. Just imagine not having to set your alarm, sit in traffic, and slip in late through the side door.

But wait, if your boss can’t see you how will he know you’re working? Wouldn’t productivity plummet as these irresponsible slackers spend their days sleeping in and shopping? As it turns out, the truth was quite the opposite. Productivity sky-rocketed 35% under Thompson and Ressler’s scheme, while employee turnovers dropped 90% (Lee 34).

As impressive as they are, these results are hardly surprising to me. As my afternoon demonstrates, the fact that I’m physically at work does not mean that I’m doing work. Instead, I’m finding ways to alleviate my boredom and pass the time. However, even if I was swamped with work I would be more focused on the task at hand if I wasn’t worrying about personal errands. With a ROWE, I would have the flexibility to get my work done and get the cat to vet on time.

Requiring employees to sit under the watchful eye of the boss does nothing to foster trust and cooperation. If anything, it creates a passive-aggressive environment of presenteeism and guilt, where each employee rebels in his or her own way. Some feel a twinge of happy revenge after sneaking out early, while others maintain that the first one in and the last one out is the winner, regardless of the impact on their personal lives. Generationally, the stereotypes persist. “Some boomers felt they’d been forced to choose between work and life during their careers. So everyone else should, too” (Conlin 65).

ROWE isn’t just an extension of flextime, which Thompson and Ressler refer to as a “con game” and a “total joke.” They feel that the problem with flextime is that it heaps “needless bureaucracy on managers instead of addressing the real issue: how to work more efficiently in an era of transcontinental teams and multiple time zones” (Conlin 63).

With flextime, you’re expected to make up your hours to ensure you still get a full 40 hours each week. Flextime results in the same amount of clock-watching, with the added bonus of feeling stigmatized because you were “lucky” enough to work a modified schedule. No matter how you slice it, 40 hours is 40 hours. In the spirit of complete honesty, I think Kelley Butler, the Editor-in-Chief of Benefit News, said it best:

“Traditional work hours benefit companies more than they do the employees…if employers really want to keep valued workers, it is time to make a change” (7).

Thompson and Ressler found a way to make that change and in fact, their plan worked so well that they have since branched out as private consultants and created CultureRX, a Best Buy subsidiary designed to help other companies set up a ROWE. They also published the book Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It to further explain their idea (Westcott 31).

A ROWE might not work for everyone, but then again, isn’t that the point? We don’t all have to follow the same path, and work in the same way. As employees reexamine their priorities and the millennial generation takes to the work place, I can clearly see the benefits of this alternative. It’s time to change the way we look at work and finally stop watching that clock.


Butler, Kelley M. “Time to ROWE with the Flow.” Employee Benefit News Mar. 2007: 7. Web.

Conlin, Michelle. “Smashing the Clock.” BusinessWeek 4013 (2006): 60-68. Web.

Lee, James H. “Hard at Work in the Jobless Future.” The Futurist 46.2 (2012): 32-35. Web.

Westcott, Scott. “Beyond Flextime: Trashing the Workweek.” Inc 30.8 (2008): 30-31. Web.

Weekend Getaways

It’s Monday morning, which comes with the inevitable, “So, what did you do over the weekend?” Did you straighten up the house? Do some laundry? Maybe do some yard work and pick up groceries? Allow me to introduce the weekend getaway.

Weekend getaways are a great way to get out there and try something new without using your limited vacation days or spending a fortune, which means you can take more of them. This easy change of pace will break up your normal routine and get you out of the daily grind mindset. There’s no trudging through a list of chores and watching the hours tick by on your Sunday afternoon. You can use your leisure time to the fullest, and have some fun instead of worrying about Monday.

This is a good way to interject some positivity into your social life as well. If you remove yourself from your normal environment with its inevitable distractions and obligations, you can focus more fully on your friends and family. Additionally, a weekend getaway will provide you with a fun, interesting conversation topic for that dreary return to the office. There’s nothing like recalling a great trip and sharing your experiences with your coworkers to keep you on that weekend high for longer.

A shorter trip gives you all the benefits of a vacation without the stress of planning, packing, or catching your flight. You won’t have time to get bored with your vacation, and you’ll be more likely seek out memorable activities if you know you’re working with a limited amount of time. You can also give yourself a pat on the back for having some fun without adding undue stress on the environment.

There are lots of options for a quick trip away. Recently, my adventure partner and I spent the night at a local bed and breakfast that’s attached to a supposedly haunted pub. We didn’t end up seeing any ghosts, but we had a great time eating at the pub and hanging out on the river. When taking local trips like this, pretend that you’re a tourist in your own region. Do a little research for parks or attractions within a few hours’ drive of your house. It’s a cheap, easy, and fun way to learn more about your local area.

Camping is another cost-effective way to spend time with your friends and family and get some fresh air. Cooking over a campfire makes for a delicious, cheap dinner and you can easily go hiking, fishing, and swimming now that summer’s on its way.

If camping and splashing around in a lake isn’t your cup of tea, maybe try a hotel with a pool and sauna. Another option is a spa getaway with the girls. Look for hotels that offer discounts on spa packages for guests to save money while pampering yourself.

Your weekend can be easily tailored to match your interests. My adventure partner and I love trying out new foods and local beverages. We make a habit out of looking for new restaurants, beer festivals, and local wineries and breweries. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box and try something completely new. Perhaps a hot air balloon ride, rafting down the river, or taking a photography class? The sky’s the limit, so feel free to get creative!

Wasting our Vacation Days

When was the last time you took a vacation? Not that day you called in sick to run errands, but a real vacation; one that lasted a week or more. If you’re like many Americans, it’s been far too long.

According to activist groups such as Take Back Your Time, Americans typically receive 3-4 weeks less vacation time each year than Western Europeans. We average a slim two weeks (Bronson) and a quarter of American workers don’t get any vacation time at all (Ewers). What’s worse is that even if we do have paid vacation, we choose not to use it. In 2006, we collectively left 574 million days of vacation untaken, or an average of 4 days each (Bronson).

The current recession has left many feeling lucky to have a job at all, and the pressure is on to prove ourselves on the job. Additionally, thanks to layoffs and downsizing the workload is being spread across a smaller pool of employees. With so much to do and so little time, who can afford to be out of the office for a week?

The sad fact is that we can’t afford to not take that week of vacation. The physical and psychological benefits of leisure time have been consistently demonstrated. Overworked employees are fatigued, stressed, and unhealthy. Less time for ourselves means less time to engage in physical activity, bond with our friends and family, and to shop for healthy meal options. It’s hard to turn down the ease and convenience of the drive-thru when we’re exhausted and short on time.

Whether it’s a short break or a longer trip, one recent study clearly explained the link between leisure time and maintaining healthy stress levels:

Some leisure activities (e.g., vacations, siestas, coffee breaks) may serve as “breathers” that provide a chance to take a break, engage in a pleasurable diversionary activity, and consequently induce positive emotions and reduce stress. Enjoyable activities may also act as “restorers” that facilitate the individual's recovery from stress by replenishing damaged or depleted resources (Pressman and Matthews, et al.)

When we think of a great employee, we think of someone who is creative, productive, and attentive, none of which are attributes of someone who is stressed out. We need time off to relax and recharge in order to be that stellar worker. Thanks to advances in technology, it’s easy to get away and while staying connected, but it’s important not to take our work with us on vacation. We need time to remove ourselves from the daily grind and approach our work from a fresh, new perspective.

For our health and for our productivity, let’s stop leaving those vacation days on the table and start to live a little.

Bronson, Po. “Just Sit Back and Relax!” Time 167.26 (2006): 78. Web.

Ewers, Justin. “All Work And No Play Makes A Company... Unproductive.” U.S. News & World Report 143.5 (2007): 42. Web.

Pressman, Sarah D., Karen A. Matthews, et al. “Association of Enjoyable Leisure Activities with Psychological and Physical Well-Being.” Psychosomatic Medicine. 71.7 (2009): 725-732. Web.

Why We Buy

“Too many people spend money they haven’t earned, to buy things they don’t want, to impress people they don’t like.” Will Rogers

If you ask a person why they work, the short answer will normally be, “So I can get paid.” Why else would we volunteer to spend such a large portion of our lives engaged in activities that we don’t necessarily want to do? Granted, there are those souls who have found their passion in life and love what they do, as well as those who feel a genuine need to work, but the rest of us show up because we are providing an exchange of services for wealth. We require our paycheck for the necessities in life (food, water, shelter) but more so than that, wealth provides comfort. Money may not be able to buy us happiness, but it can ensure we have plenty of distractions from our displeasure. It’s much nicer to cry on a yacht than a sidewalk.

But how much is enough? Do we “need” the yacht or is it just a distraction? Even harder is the question of whether or not we even want the yacht. How much of your time are you spending to earn a paycheck to buy things you don’t want, but feel you “have” to have? Is your desire fueled by your values or your need to belong and blend in with everyone else?

To clarify, I’m not an advocate of throwing out everything you have in favor of the simple life and I’m not saying that consumerism is evil. I don’t personally want to imagine a world where I don’t have an iTouch, but I bought it because I knew it would bring me years of pleasure. It’s a product that has far surpassed the investment I put in to earn it, and I bought it because I knew it was the product I wanted. I literally wear my electronics out, and I love every minute of them. Through excessive trial and error, I have learned which products I like and I know that when I’m buying an iTouch, I’m buying it because it is the best product I have found, not because of loyalty to Apple or what people think of me for owning it.

On the flip side, I also own a Dooney and Bourke purse. I purchased this bag because of the brand. I wanted to look successful and grown up, and thought a name brand bag would add a bit of polish to my style. It has not brought me the level of happiness I thought it would, because I know I bought it for the sake of outside opinion. As an overall investment, it ended up being a great choice. It is of superior quality to other purses I have owned, and it is still in perfect condition after years of wear and tear. Had I researched and come to this conclusion before I bought it, I have no doubt that I would be happier with my decision. Instead, I will always know that I carry my insecurities in my hand with this purse.

My desire to show off with a name brand handbag demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding between intrinsic and extrinsic goals. Intrinsic goals are the objects in our lives that result in nurturing relationships, taking care of our health, and engaging in worthwhile pursuits: things that make us happy that come from within the self. Extrinsic goals are built on our desire to pull our happiness from outside of ourselves, or to fill a void with external materials. We feel a fleeting sense of happiness and relief when we purchase something we desire, but as Samuel Franklin wrote in The Psychology of Happiness, “momentary pleasures do not add up to happiness. A good life comes from growing, actualizing, and fulfilling possibilities” (54).

The theme of today is to spend a few moments thinking about the good life and what my own personal possibilities are, and then to reprioritize my time to focus on my intrinsic goals.


Franklin, Samuel S. The Psychology of Happiness: A Good Human Life. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 2010. Print.